


Mittens

by F1_rabbit



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4525548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kevin's lost the cat that he was looking after until she's ready to be rehomed...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mittens

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Boastalotblhablah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boastalotblhablah/gifts), [clubforce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clubforce/gifts).



"Mittens? Where are you kitty?" Kevin's hunting around his home looking for his newest house guest, a fawn and white cat with a damaged ear who walks with a limp. She was found in a local park and she just needs some love and affection before she can be rehomed. He volunteers with his local animal shelter, fostering injured animals and nursing them back to full health. Kevin's day job is actually as an artist and furniture maker which he does from his workshop at home, meaning that he's got the time to take care of the animals. Although a few of the animals that he's looked after have ended up as permanent residents, he just couldn't bear to let them go.

Kevin's looking in all the usual hidey holes where the cats like to sleep, Frankie and Benjy are asleep on his bed, curled up in one ball of fluff with eight legs and two tails. They're two black cats, brothers, who go everywhere together. He hunts around the bedroom, checking the wardrobe even though it was shut, just in case he could have trapped Mittens in when he got dressed this morning, she does like to slink in when she gets the chance, but there's no sign of her.

He looks in the bathroom, but there's no sign of Mittens. He looks in the spare room but it's completely empty, he meant to put a bed in at some point for visitors but the only people that ever stay the night are his really close friends, and they just share his bed. The reason he got a place this big is so that the had a large garage to use as a workshop and giant living room to use as an artist's studio; which means that even with using one bedroom as an office, he still has one room spare.

The office is cat free and he bolts down the stairs, checking the lounge and disturbing Nico, a large golden retriever who loves his food.

"Nico, have you seen Mittens?" Kevin asks, knowing that he's not going to respond. Nico looks at him quizzically and wags his tail. Kevin sighs and wanders through to the kitchen, she has to be there, has to be, there's no where else for her to be. Nico follows and watches as Kevin checks all the cupboards but there's no sign of her.

He's heading for the office, where he left his phone, when he sees that the door to his workshop is ajar. His blood runs cold and he leaps into the room, the garage door is open so that the varnish on a table he was working on could dry. Kevin frantically scans the room, hoping that Mittens has stayed inside but there's no place to hide and there's no sign of her.

Kevin runs into the driveway and he sees a familiar cat running in his next-door neighbour's garden. He groans out loud, of all the places for Mittens to head to it would have to be _his_ house.

Kevin's never actually spoken to his neighbour but he knows that he's always angry, his voice always sounds grumpy and hostile. He considers just jumping the fence into his neighbour's garden but given his attitude he doesn't want to end up in a fight with him. So he takes a deep breath and walks around to their front door.

He knocks on the door and he starts to think that his neighbour must be out but then he hears the sound of someone moving inside. A tall skinny man with sharp cheekbones and a pouty look answers the door.

"Hi, I-" Kevin's interrupted by the door being slammed in his face. He almost wants to scream at the door but he's not that kind of guy. Kevin turns to leave, he's decided just to sneak into his garden to find Mittens when he hears the door reopen.

"Sorry, the rabbit was about to escape," the neighbour says, standing on the doorstep in fluffy slippers, and his voice sounds soft, caring even. Well, as soft as his accent will ever allow.

"Oh," Kevin's caught off guard with how kind his neighbour's smile is, "my cat escaped into your garden and she's recovering from an injury and I'm only looking after her until she's better but I'm worried about her". Kevin takes a deep breath after blurting all of that.

"Come, we'll go look for her," he says and motions for Kevin to follow him into the house.

"I'm Dany."

"Kevin."

"Nice to meet you," Dany says and he shakes his hand as a great Dane runs out to meet them. "This is Chekov," he adds with a smirk and Kevin pets him while Dany puts his shoes on.

"You have a lot of animals," Kevin says, there's no sign of the rabbit that was trying to escape but he's seen a collection of cats, dogs and small rodents.

"Occupational hazard," Dany says with a laugh, "I'm a vet," he adds when Kevin looks confused. The rabbit comes bounding back through when Dany heads for the kitchen and he gets a carrot, complete with its leafy green top, out of the fridge and the rabbit stands on their back feet to try and reach the food being dangled for it. "Would you feed Seven?" Dany asks.

"You number your pets?" Kevin's brow wrinkles in confusion. 

"It's short for Seven of Nine," Dany says with a blush, and Kevin laughs, he's not a huge _Star Trek_ fan but he gets the references. Dany hands Kevin the carrot to feed the rabbit while he roots through the cupboards.

He pulls out a small tin, like the kind that has tuna in, but when he pulls the ring to open it the smell is unbearably fishy. "Sardines, guaranteed cat magnet," Dany says as Kevin notices the collection of cats that have gathered by the kitchen door. Dany grabs another can before leaving the contents of the open one in a bowl for the assembled cats.

Dany grabs his hoodie and ushers Kevin out the back door quickly, slinking out behind him and making sure that the door is securely closed. "What's their name?" Dany asks and when Kevin tells him it's Mittens, Dany laughs. It's a warm laugh, genuine and Kevin finds himself wondering why he'd never bothered to speak to him when he moved in a few months ago.

"Mittens!" it's funny to hear Dany yelling for her in his harsh accent but that was what she got named at the rescue centre and there’s no point Kevin renaming her if she’s just a temporary guest. He’s thankful that he’s never had to look after anyone with a really silly name.

The sound of two grown men shouting ‘Mittens’ is bizarre but it does help lighten the mood and Dany’s smile is kind of appealing in a really dorky way. Although now’s not the time to be thinking about these things, find the lost cat first, then think about your cute neighbour.

Dany’s crawling along the line of trees at the edge of his garden, hiding the fences that separate it from the other properties, while holding out a can of sardines. Kevin’s trying not to look at his ass as he shuffles along, but fails spectacularly. It’s only when Dany has to repeat a question that Kevin realises how bad he must look.

"How long have you been looking after Mittens for?" Dany asks and his smile says ‘I saw you staring’.

"Uh, three weeks now, "Kevin blurts, "hopefully she’ll be ready to be rehomed in a few more weeks". Kevin can’t help thinking ‘if we find her’ but he tries to push all those thoughts out of his mind.

There’s a rustle of branches and then a flash of whitish fur running out of the trees, pausing a few feet away when she sees Dany. But the allure of the pungent sardines is more than Mittens can resist and she creeps forward to claim her treat. Kevin’s kneeling beside Dany now, stroking Mittens as she eats before carefully picking her up. He’s not sure he could take much more cat hunting excitement today.

"Take her back inside and I’ll check her over," Dany offers and Kevin can’t refuse. Mostly because he wants to make sure that Mittens is ok after her little adventure but some of it is definitely just so he can spend a little more time with the cute vet while he works.

Once they’re all back inside Mittens is placed on a mat on the kitchen table before Dany checks her over. "There’s a small cut on her paw but apart from that she’s unharmed after her escape attempt," Dany chuckles and Kevin finally breathes a sigh of relief. Then Dany shines the small torch that he used to check Mittens’ eyes into Kevin’s. "You on the other hand, you’re going to need some rest and relaxation," Dany smirks, his face is tantalisingly close and Kevin blinks a few times.

"I should be going," Kevin says and his brain is reeling as to why it would do something so stupid. He knows that he’s got to finish varnishing that piece for tomorrow but he could do it later, it’s going to take all night to dry anyway.

Dany goes to fetch a carry case and herds Mittens into it before saying, "We don’t want you to get lost again". There’s a pitiful meow as the door is shut and Dany hands her over, "Just make sure that you keep the cut clean until it heals and you know where I am if you need anything," he adds with a wink. Long skinny arms are drawing him into a big hug and Kevin awkwardly returns it while holding the cat.

As Kevin walks back to his house he wonders about all the flirty things he could have said but didn’t, worrying about Mittens had overridden his usual cheeky little angel flirting style. Luckily he’s got his work to take his mind off all of that. After checking three times that the door between the house and the workshop is definitely shut he gets down to work putting the final coat of varnish on the table.

The table’s left drying, the door securely locked so that there’s no more mishaps today. Dinner is served for the three cats and Nico’s demolishing his kibble before his evening walk. Kevin looks at the cat carrier sitting in the kitchen and thinks it would be rude of him not to return it straight away. He grabs Nico’s leash and the carry case; his mind is trying to work out what to say. It’s at times like this that he wishes that he could cook, all he’d have to do is offer him dinner to say thank you. But he’s pretty sure that ready meals or toast do not give the romantic vibe that he’s looking for.

As he gets to Dany’s door he panics as he’s in his old scruffy clothes, good for working and dog walking alike and his hair must be everywhere, he hadn’t bothered to do anything with it today. He’s just about to turn and run when Dany answers the door.

"Hello again," Dany smiles, "no more lost little animals I hope?”

"I, uh, just wanted to return this," Kevin stammers, waving the carry case as if it wasn’t clear what he meant. He mentally pulls himself together and he has a flash of inspiration, "And I was wondering if you and Chekov would like to join us on our walk to the park”.

"We’d love to," Dany says. He gives a couple of commands in a language Kevin doesn’t understand and Chekov appears at the doorway holding his lead. Kevin’s really impressed, Nico’s well behaved only if there’s a treat in it for him.

It’s a lovely warm summer’s evening, there’s still light but the risk of getting horribly burnt is reduced and there’s a nice breeze wafting in from the coast. The walk down to the park isn’t long and they chat about all the little details of their lives, the ones that you store away for later in the friendship to show that you cared enough to listen.

The dogs are off their leads and running around the park chasing each other, playing like they’ve known each other their entire lives. Kevin and Dany sit on the bench watching them. "I forgot to say thank you earlier, I really appreciated your help," Kevin says softly and Dany takes his hand which send a rush of fuzzy feelings throughout his body.

"You’re welcome," Dany says, and there’s something in his eyes that says ‘go on, make a move’, so Kevin does.

The kiss is soft and tender, Dany’s hands run through his hair and there’s little breathless moans coming from Dany. It’s all perfect until there’s someone pawing at him. He opens his eyes to see Nico desperately trying to get his attention.

"Looks like someone is jealous," Dany says as he pets Nico, "we might have to save this for another time," he adds with a wicked grin. He presses his lips to Kevin’s forehead, a promise of what’s to come before commanding Chekov to come here. The walk home is nice, Nico in one hand and Dany in the other, enjoying the last little bit of summer that they’re probably going to get.

Another time is sitting on Dany’s sofa watching a Star Trek movie, not that they saw a lot of it. It had quickly descended into making out and Kevin was about to make the move until he became aware that they had an audience. Although he’s got used to that now, if he hadn’t him and Dany would never have had sex, what with all the pets they both have. It becomes habit to take the dogs for a walk at the same time, and habit to eat dinner together, even if Kevin’s attempts at cooking leave a lot to be desired. After a year of dating Dany has no idea that Kevin has a ring with his name on it, now all he has to do is ask the question.

And, as if there was a doubt, Dany says yes.

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
